Ever heard of the term hydrotherapy? Well, if you haven’t then you are surely missing out on something marvelous.

For starters, hydrotherapy refers to the use of water i.e in any forms of water be it water, ice or steam, for the purposes of treating various diseases and improving general health and wellness.

Well, there are lots of therapy experts who purport have the magic wands in many disciplines but most are mostly a total sham.

That said, hydrotherapy is one practice that has really stood the test of time.

The Health Benefits of Hydrotherapy

Hydrotherapy has been in use since the ancient times with the likes of India, Egypt, and China among the early adopters of this practice. It was used to accomplish physiological/therapeutic effects on parts of the system hence maintaining health, preventing, and treating the diseases.

As a matter of fact, research in recent times has even suggested that regular exposure to cold water through showers, baths, and swimming is associated with some health benefits such as:

1. Preventing Injuries:

Some researchers have suggested that soaking in a cold bath can play a role in reducing swelling while also reducing tissue breakdown. This is especially the case as far as athletes are concerned.

2. Improving Male Fertility:

The argument that has been made here is that cold water doesn’t harm sperm production as much as hot water would. There was even that long-standing belief hot water could be used as a method of contraception, a practice that is believed to have been very popular in the 4th

Research on hydrotherapy

These benefits have however been a bit lacking scientifically but many people around the world have been swearing by them. Now, there is some new research that has perhaps delivered the most concrete of proof that indeed hydrotherapy has health benefits.

One such research is one done by Dr. Sergei Bubnovkiy, a Russian Doctor, and Chinese Therapy Specialist. According to him, you can improve your immune system by simply soaking your legs in ice cold water for about 15 seconds every day.

Another similar research was done at the Britain’s Thrombosis Research Institute, also found that people who take cold showers every day improved their number of white cells in the body. This is owed to the fact that as the body tries to regenerate heat after that cold shower, then the rate of metabolism will increase hence activating the immune system which in turns produces more white blood cells.

Another German study found that occasional winter swims tend to increase oxidative stress, but if this is done more frequently, then the body will adopt antioxidant responses.

All these research work are consistent with what was found in a research done at the University of Virginia. The research found that placing feet in icy water for about 15 seconds leads to the production of a hormone known as norepinephrine, which is important hormone in terms of boosting immunity.

Well, this just goes to show that you should try some form of hydrotherapy and see how it works for you. After all, it is no longer a myth as scientific work has proven that this is actually very good for your health!